Combined awning and window-blind



(No Model.)

J. O. GITTINGS.

COMBINED AWNING AND WINDOW BLIND. N0. 454,907. Patented June 30, 1891.

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JAMES C. GITTINGS, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

COMBINED AWNING AND WINDOW-BLIND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 454,907, dated June 30, 1891.

' Application filed July 15, 1890.

To all whom, it Uta/y concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES C. GITTINGs, of the city of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Combined Awnings and Window- Blinds, of which the following is a full description.

Figure l ofthe drawings shows a back View of the device, looking from the room; Fig. 2, a vertical section of the device with the slats closed; Fig. 3, a vertical section of the upper part of the awning-blind, showing the slats opened; Fig. 4, a vertical sectional view with the stretcher-bar thrown out in the position when the device is used as an awning.

Fig. 5 illustrates a small tag or clasp located upon the rear upper edge of the slat, ending with a projection inserted directly into the link of the chain, the projection extending through the link and provided with a ring attached thereto through which the cord or cords for throwing out the stretcher-bar may be passed through the rings acting as guides for the cord.

My invention is an improvement upon the the combined blind and awning shown and described in reissued Letters Patent of the United States to William H. J ollifte, January 18, 1887, No. 10,7 98. It dispenses with the arrangements in said patented device for lowering the blind from the top and raisingit at the bottom, and entails a construction which retains the features of said invention which adapt it for use as a blind and awning, andadds the features of construction for combining the blind with the opening of the slats by means which are easily managed and properly located to be used to the best advantage.

A is the window-frame.

B is a top cross-piece, to which the awningblind is suspended, and O is a cross-bar made of suitable material, which usually operates with the stretcher-bar when the latter is thrown out, and is generally suspended with the blind.

Between the cross-pieces B and O are arranged a series of slats, which are flexibly attached to each other by suitable material. As shown in the drawings, they are attached to each other by means of flexible chains E, located on the inside of the blind, and connected to the slats by means of fastening de- Serial No. 358,826- (No model.)

vices, which are journaled in the links of the chain, and have sufficient play to allow the slats to be opened or closed without interfering with the devices for throwing out the blind when the same is used as an awning. These inside chains and their connections permit of the use of the cords or chain for opening the slats and operate together. The whole is suspended. It will be seen that the end of the fastening device attached to the inner edge of the slat passes through the link of the chain, which link gives the necessary play to this end of the fastening device, which pro-- jects through far enough to enable me to provide it with an eye or means by which the rings shown in the drawings may be attached thereto, and through which the cords which throw out the awning pass, and serve notonly as guides, but also as steadying devices when the blind is blown about by the wind. Y

The stretcher-bar D is the same as that shown and described in the J olliife patent before referred to, and consists of tWo parallel sides and a cross-bar, the two sides being pivoted at their ends to a suitable part. of the window-frame, as shown at d. The crossrod of this stretcher-bar may be attached to the cross-piece O, or the two side rods may be attached thereto, leaving the cross-piece C to operate in conjunction therewith.

At the top tached to the cross-piece B are placed two pulley-blocks b and Z2, corresponding in location with the cords or chains, hereinafter described, for throwing out the stretcher-bar to convert the blind into an awning. The block b is provided with a single pulley and the block Z with two pulleys.

H H are two cords or chains, the lowerends of which are secured to the cross-rod of the stretcher-bar or to the cross-piece C, and pass up on the inside of the blind, the one to the right passing through the pulley-block b and over one of the pulleys therein and then down, and the other to the left passes up through the pulley-block b and over its pulley, thence across through the pulley-blockl) and over the pulley not occupied by the other cord, and then down. The ends of the two cords falling together enables the operator to use them as one and pull upon both at the same time.

Combined with this device is the outer cord of the apparatus and usually ator chain J, which, hanging loosely upon the inside of the blind in position convenient to the hand of the operator, passes through an opening in the frame-top down upon the outside of the blind, and is suitably or pivotally secured to each of the slats of the blind, so as to open them when pulled. Thus it will be seen by viewing Fig.3 there are two pivotal arrangements, one inside and one outside of the blind, as shown at X X, co-operating together to open and close the slats without interfering with the arrangements for convert ing the blind into an awning and leaving the ends of the slats free and unincu mbered with chains or pivots.

It will be seen from the above construction that a perfectly effective outside blind is made havingaltogether but two flexible conn ections or chains upon the inside or rear of the blind; that the links of this chain where they register with the upper edges of the slats serve rather as fulcrums than as pivots and receive the projecting ends of the tag upon the upper inner edge of the slat directly. This projecting end of the tag may be enlarged beyond the links of the chain to keep it from slipping out, and the link itself gives an abundance of space, within which the end of the tag may be worked up and down, while laterally it is held by the link with sufficient security to prevent the slats from becoming distorted in a wind. At the same time the projecting end of this tag may be utilized to support a ring which has the double purpose of preventing the end of the tag from slipping out of the link, and furnishes a safe guide for the cords of the stretcher-bar. The end connections or pivots upon the slats are dispensed with and a good serviceable outside blind capable of having its slats open or closed or thrown out as an awning is made at a minimum of expense and at the maximum of usefulness.

What I claim, and desire to secure'by Letters Patent, is

In a combined awning and blind, two or more chains passing down the inside of the blind, whose links form pivotal bearings for projections from the slats in opening or closing, in combination with a series of slats provided on their upper inner edges with projections to pass through the links of the chain and having on their ends means for receiving a series of rings, a stretcher-bar having two parallel ends pivoted to the sides of the window-frame, cords passing down the inside of the blind and through the rings on the ends of the pivotal projections and connected with the stretcher-bar to convert the blind into an awning, and a cord or chain passing through the frame-top down the outside of the blind and connected with each of the slats at the bottom to open and close the slats, substantially as described.

JAMES C. GITTINGS.

\Nitnesses:

FELIX R. SULLIVAN, J AS. McK. MERRYMAN. 

